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Flashlight Enthusiast
I have been fortunate to spend some quality time with the new Mako by Endeavor and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on his new offering; but before I get started, I would like to share some of my thoughts on the Mako's maker.
I have had the good fortune of corresponding with Enrique on a regular basis as he developed the Mako, and I have come to find him as a stand up fellow; he is a high-character individual that is committed to producing high-quality products that are meant to stand the test of time. These qualities are apparent in the lights that he has produced in the past and is currently producing. He is not given to compromise when it comes to reliability today and in the future and this has given me a great deal of confidence in his products as well as a profound sense of joy as I have understood more and more of the details that were obsessed over during the products design.
What is the Mako?
The Mako is a 2-level AAA light, constructed from titanium that uses a 5mm Cree LED. It is, to my knowledge, the only 5 mm, AAA-powered, 2-level light available.
It is operated by twisting the head of the light. Twist clockwise for low and twist counter-clockwise for high.
It has a groove for attachment of a lanyard and also a hole for attachment of a split ring or other attachment.
The tail-end of the light is flat and as a result, the light tail-stands w/out any issues whatsoever. At the tail-end of the light is a groove that is milled into the aluminum (the production model will be titanium) that will allow for the installation of a tritium vial if you so desire.
A better description of the light and its features is available at:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/204949
My Impressions on the Mako:
The size of this light is perfect for keychain carry both in diameter and in length; I find that AAA lights in general are excellent for keychain carry. The Mako is shorter than my MJP Extreme III, Fenix LD01, Arc AAA, and Fenix E01 (shorter by a small amount than the Arc and E01). The prototype Mako that I evaluated is a bit larger in diameter than the production version will be.
The light has grooves in the head to assist with providing grip when using the light in wet environments and they work very well for this purpose. I have owned AAA lights from other manufacturers who did not use either knurling or grooves and I found that turning them on while they were wet was a challenge… add cold to the equation and it can be a pretty frustrating experience. I have had no trouble whatsoever operating the Mako when it is wet; I don't know it would work in the cold because I live in Florida :nana:.
While the prototype Mako that I evaluated was made out of aluminum, the fit and finish of the were outstanding and I have no doubts that the production models will meet my high expectations in this area; all of the Muyshondt lights that I have owned and do own all twist on and off w/buttery smoothness and all are a joy to behold. One quick question; am I the only one that takes time just to look at and admire the craftsmanship of a well made light?
The LED is recessed into the head of the light and as a result more protected from contact with the stuff found in pockets, purses or backpacks than if it were not recessed.
The prototype came with a tritium vial installed in the slot at the end of the light and it is effective at helping to locate the light or the keychain attached to the light when it is dark. I find that these locators are excellent additions to flashlights in general. It is my understanding that the Mako will not ship with tritium pre-installed but that it will ship with the groove to accept tritium.
The 2 levels of the Mako are set at 6 ma for low and 20 ma for high. Turning it on and evaluating the spread between the levels in a brightly lit room will not give a good indication of the differences between them as they are pretty close to one another. Using the Mako when it is dark and my eyes had a chance to adjust allowed me to better appreciate the difference between the levels. On high, the Mako compares favorably to the CS version of the Arc AAA; it has a little less spill, but a little larger hot-spot. On low, the Mako's output reminded me of the 12 ma version of the Ti AAA Killer.
Both the low and high version offer more than enough light to navigate indoors or outdoors in the dark; I have used the Mako inside of dark stairwells and had no trouble safely getting up and down w/out being extra careful. The beam on high reaches out enough for me to use it up to 25' away; again more than enough reach for task lighting or navigation.
I have not performed any runtime tests but the information that I have seen posted by Endeavor is very encouraging! No doubt, that these lights, using ultra-common AAA batteries will work exceptionally well in emergencies where lower levels of light are all that are necessary and where long runtimes trump high output. For me, the estimated 60-hour runtime on low makes this light a no-brainer for inclusion in my backpack when I go hiking; in a tent or a shelter, it offers more than enough light to do almost everything that I need to do from navigating around camp, to checking through my pack at night, to reading a map or whatever. In fact, pairing the Mako up w/a higher output, longer-throwing AAA light is a great combination when hiking, especially if you are weight conscious.
The tint is far better than the tint on every other 5 mm LED that I have owned and it is well described as a neutral, even white tint that is very pleasing on a white wall and in actual use. I remember commenting that the light from my Arc was blue and I had to continually correct them that it was really white I have no doubt that the most discriminating white-wall hunters and tint connoisseurs will appreciate the light from the Mako.
The Mako would not be my choice if I was to only carry one light with me throughout the day because of its limited output (for that matter, no 5 mm light would work for me in this capacity) but it is an excellent choice as a back-up light or a complimentary light and, once available, it will be in my backpack for my future hiking trips. It is also not likely to impress your friends when you turn it on if you are looking for comments about how bright is for such a small light (buy and Aeon for that) but it will impress them if they share an appreciation for well conceived and well executed tools. Having it on my keychain will provide loads of confidence that I will have light when I need it and for a long time; add to that the quality of construction and choice of titanium as the building material and it is a real winner in my book.
I have had the good fortune of corresponding with Enrique on a regular basis as he developed the Mako, and I have come to find him as a stand up fellow; he is a high-character individual that is committed to producing high-quality products that are meant to stand the test of time. These qualities are apparent in the lights that he has produced in the past and is currently producing. He is not given to compromise when it comes to reliability today and in the future and this has given me a great deal of confidence in his products as well as a profound sense of joy as I have understood more and more of the details that were obsessed over during the products design.
What is the Mako?
The Mako is a 2-level AAA light, constructed from titanium that uses a 5mm Cree LED. It is, to my knowledge, the only 5 mm, AAA-powered, 2-level light available.
It is operated by twisting the head of the light. Twist clockwise for low and twist counter-clockwise for high.
It has a groove for attachment of a lanyard and also a hole for attachment of a split ring or other attachment.
The tail-end of the light is flat and as a result, the light tail-stands w/out any issues whatsoever. At the tail-end of the light is a groove that is milled into the aluminum (the production model will be titanium) that will allow for the installation of a tritium vial if you so desire.
A better description of the light and its features is available at:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/204949
My Impressions on the Mako:
The size of this light is perfect for keychain carry both in diameter and in length; I find that AAA lights in general are excellent for keychain carry. The Mako is shorter than my MJP Extreme III, Fenix LD01, Arc AAA, and Fenix E01 (shorter by a small amount than the Arc and E01). The prototype Mako that I evaluated is a bit larger in diameter than the production version will be.
The light has grooves in the head to assist with providing grip when using the light in wet environments and they work very well for this purpose. I have owned AAA lights from other manufacturers who did not use either knurling or grooves and I found that turning them on while they were wet was a challenge… add cold to the equation and it can be a pretty frustrating experience. I have had no trouble whatsoever operating the Mako when it is wet; I don't know it would work in the cold because I live in Florida :nana:.
While the prototype Mako that I evaluated was made out of aluminum, the fit and finish of the were outstanding and I have no doubts that the production models will meet my high expectations in this area; all of the Muyshondt lights that I have owned and do own all twist on and off w/buttery smoothness and all are a joy to behold. One quick question; am I the only one that takes time just to look at and admire the craftsmanship of a well made light?
The LED is recessed into the head of the light and as a result more protected from contact with the stuff found in pockets, purses or backpacks than if it were not recessed.
The prototype came with a tritium vial installed in the slot at the end of the light and it is effective at helping to locate the light or the keychain attached to the light when it is dark. I find that these locators are excellent additions to flashlights in general. It is my understanding that the Mako will not ship with tritium pre-installed but that it will ship with the groove to accept tritium.
The 2 levels of the Mako are set at 6 ma for low and 20 ma for high. Turning it on and evaluating the spread between the levels in a brightly lit room will not give a good indication of the differences between them as they are pretty close to one another. Using the Mako when it is dark and my eyes had a chance to adjust allowed me to better appreciate the difference between the levels. On high, the Mako compares favorably to the CS version of the Arc AAA; it has a little less spill, but a little larger hot-spot. On low, the Mako's output reminded me of the 12 ma version of the Ti AAA Killer.
Both the low and high version offer more than enough light to navigate indoors or outdoors in the dark; I have used the Mako inside of dark stairwells and had no trouble safely getting up and down w/out being extra careful. The beam on high reaches out enough for me to use it up to 25' away; again more than enough reach for task lighting or navigation.
I have not performed any runtime tests but the information that I have seen posted by Endeavor is very encouraging! No doubt, that these lights, using ultra-common AAA batteries will work exceptionally well in emergencies where lower levels of light are all that are necessary and where long runtimes trump high output. For me, the estimated 60-hour runtime on low makes this light a no-brainer for inclusion in my backpack when I go hiking; in a tent or a shelter, it offers more than enough light to do almost everything that I need to do from navigating around camp, to checking through my pack at night, to reading a map or whatever. In fact, pairing the Mako up w/a higher output, longer-throwing AAA light is a great combination when hiking, especially if you are weight conscious.
The tint is far better than the tint on every other 5 mm LED that I have owned and it is well described as a neutral, even white tint that is very pleasing on a white wall and in actual use. I remember commenting that the light from my Arc was blue and I had to continually correct them that it was really white I have no doubt that the most discriminating white-wall hunters and tint connoisseurs will appreciate the light from the Mako.
The Mako would not be my choice if I was to only carry one light with me throughout the day because of its limited output (for that matter, no 5 mm light would work for me in this capacity) but it is an excellent choice as a back-up light or a complimentary light and, once available, it will be in my backpack for my future hiking trips. It is also not likely to impress your friends when you turn it on if you are looking for comments about how bright is for such a small light (buy and Aeon for that) but it will impress them if they share an appreciation for well conceived and well executed tools. Having it on my keychain will provide loads of confidence that I will have light when I need it and for a long time; add to that the quality of construction and choice of titanium as the building material and it is a real winner in my book.
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